The fit is pretty good and the jacket’s cut close enough to make it a proper race-ready piece of kit, but loose enough that you should be able to fit it on even if you’ve layered up underneath. At the back the collar is cut high and the hem sweeps low, although the drop tail could be a little more pronounced as out riding in the rain it failed to cover my bib tights when I was bent over flat-armed on the hoods, let alone in the drops.

• Specification

• Price: £135
• Size tested: L
• Sizes available: S, M, L, XL, XXL
• Website: Poc
• UK distributor: 2Pure

Having said that, the drawstrings at the hem are a nice touch and make sure that, even though it’s not long enough to protect your rear at least this means you can keep dry by pulling them tight and shutting out the elements.

There’s a small zipped pocket on the rear, and the key word there is small. It’s also wide rather than deep – think smartphone in landscape rather than portrait – so it’s use is pretty limited. You can definitely store a few gels in there if you don’t want the bother of trying to access jersey pockets under the jacket, but given that I didn’t have any trouble doing that the pocket went largely unused.

Conclusion 

While you can’t deny that Poc’s Fondo Splash jacket is a stylish bit of kit, it’s pleasantly surprising that has performance to match those upper market looks. While Poc haven’t exactly jumped into the budget market with their ‘more affordable’ range, knocking over £100 off the price of the Raceday jacket is a good start, and it certainly provides a more accessible way into Poc clothing, if not exactly a utilitarian one.

Pros

– Quality waterproofing combined with above average breathability
– Great looks
– Cheaper (emphasis on the ‘er’)

Cons

– Collar end zipper garage continually catches
– Could do with the dropped back being a little more pronounced